Fiancee Follies
by A Writer of Fact and Fiction
Summary: This brief piece adds a little more craziness to the Sailor Senshi's world. It begins a few days after 'Senshi at Sea'. The girls have returned to Tokyo from their sea cruise but their first encounter with a new enemy brings a strange twist to their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Fiancee Follies

. . . . .

Hi! I'm not back to writing again, not really. Honest! :) But I couldn't resist penning one last story that's stuck in my head.

This short silly piece is something I thought would make a nice curtain call to my earlier collection of craziness, a 'thank you' for those brave souls who trudged all the way through my long series on the Sailor Senshi. It takes place several days after 'Senshi at Sea'. Hope you enjoy it!

. . . . .

Chapter 1:

"Can we _finally_ get on with our day, Minako-chan? Or would you like to finish telling everyone else in Tokyo all about the cruise and our engagements first? I'm sure there's still someone in the city who hasn't heard the news yet" Makoto grumbled at her friend as they emerged from the Game Center Crown with their fiancees. Yuji and Ryo were dressed in nearly identical white short-sleeved shirts while Taro wore a bright yellow tee-shirt to fend off the summer sun's scorching rays.

Ami added with a smile from behind the other two couples, "It would be somewhat easier and more efficient to take out an ad in the newspaper, Minako-chan."

"It would" Makoto agreed with a snort. She glared at the bubbly blonde. "Or have you already done that?"

"This was our last stop, I promise!" Minako replied brightly. "Anyway, I noticed you weren't exactly hiding_ your_ engagement ring from everyone at the Crown, Ami-chan."

The blue-haired girl smiled sweetly at her Ryo. "I'd never hide _our_ love, my Ryo-kun."

Makoto checked her watch as the six teens strolled down the sidewalk together. "It's nearly two, Yuji honey. This heat is stifling. How about we go down to the park for a little while? It'll be a lot cooler beside the lake than it is in my apartment."

Before the boy could answer, a chorus of screams rang out from a small group of pedestrians some distance further down the street. Taro turned to his girl in alarm. "I hope that's not what I think it is, sweetheart."

Minako's smile instantly disappeared. "Minna, sounds like trouble up ahead!" She scowled, "I _knew_ this was too good to last!"

"Let's go see what's up!" Makoto urged. The couples sprinted toward the commotion, weaving their way between a sudden rush of panic-stricken people who were attempting to flee in the opposite direction. Nearing an intersection, the blonde's worst fears were soon realized.

_"A youma!"_ Minako gasped.

"I thought we were finished with those damned things!" her brunette friend muttered. "Fine! Time to get back to work!"

"Ryo-kun, don't get any closer to it!" Ami warned. "Wait for us in that alleyway over there!"

"Hai!" The sixteen year old boy nodded. The concern on his face was matched by the grim expressions Taro and Yuji wore. "Please be careful, my love!" he begged his girl.

Ami smiled reassuringly. "We will, darling. Don't worry." Hurrying into the narrow passageway with their guys, the three teenage girls glanced around to ensure they were adequately concealed. Quickly producing their henshin wands, they transformed into Sailor Senshi with three simultaneous surges of energy. Ryo had witnessed Ami's transformation many times before but the incredible sight was still a breathtaking one for the two boys from Nerima.

"Back in a minute!" Sailor Jupiter promised Yuji. She and her two companions bravely ran onward toward the nearby danger.

The monster they faced was unlike anything the Sailor Senshi had encountered in their prior battles with the Dark Kingdom. A massively long and thick snake-like creature slithered between its victims, a half-dozen people who were just a moment before innocently walking in Tokyo's bright afternoon sunshine, but now lay sprawled motionless on the hot sidewalk. From the victims' unmoving forms, faint ripples of light swirled upward, only to be absorbed into the thick scaly body of the nearby beast.

The reptile hissed as it moved between its prey, leaving a slug-like trail of slime on the cement behind it. _"Ki!"_

_"That's disgusting!"_ Venus gasped.

Sailor Mercury studied the creature through the blue tint of her visor. "This isn't a normal youma!" she exclaimed. "Its energy pattern is quite different from any of Beryl's monsters!"

The creature's head swiveled to face the young warriors as Jupiter braced herself to begin her attack. Before the green-clad Senshi could react, the snake coiled and sprang toward her with a surprising burst of speed, opening its mouth wide to reveal two long glistening fangs. Sailor Jupiter leapt to one side and the monster closed the gap and brushed past her shoulder with a whoosh before gathering itself into a coil for another strike.

"That thing's _fast!"_ she blurted.

"Not as fast as_ I_ am!" Venus yelled at it. _"CRESCENT BEAM!"_

The yellow glow surrounding the blonde Senshi's touching fingertips instantly brightened into a tightly-focused shaft of blinding light. The cardian released a loud hiss-like screech as Venus' powerful energy beam found its target, but the being remained stubbornly intact. Instead of leaping toward the girls again, it twisted away from them and retreated with a rapid undulating wiggle.

"It's trying to get away!" Mercury warned. Her voice rose. _"It's heading toward our boys!"_

_. . . . ._

"This waiting is killing me!" Taro muttered from the alleyway. "I feel so _useless!"_ Hearing the girls' raised voices and the sharp crack of Sailor Venus' weapon of light, he stopped pacing and strode over to the corner, cautiously poking his head past the brick wall. A horrified gasp escaped his lips at the frightening sight before his eyes. The otherworldly monster was quickly slithering toward the boys' hiding spot.

"What's happening, Taro-chan?" his brother asked. Unable to hold back their deep concern for the girls they loved, Yuji and Ryo also cautiously peered around the corner of the building.

_"MERCURY AQUA MIRAGE!"_

The blue-haired Senshi's potent water attack instantly halted the fleeing cardian as a gleaming sphere of liquid compressed tightly around it.

"Now it's my turn!" the brunette Senshi yelled. A gold antenna projected upward from her tiara and the air around Makoto crackled as it became electrified.

_"SUPREME THUNDER!"_

Sailor Jupiter added her might to the fray, overwhelming the creature's weakened defenses with a massive jolt of lightning. With a hollow thump and a burst of light the cardian disintegrated, releasing an expanding shock wave of energy in its wake that cracked the windows and rattled the doors of several nearby shops. The monster's explosive demise knocked the three watching boys off their feet and sent them sprawling back into the alleyway.

All that remained of the creature was a small black square that fluttered harmlessly to the sidewalk. A few seconds later even that vanished, leaving no trace of their mysterious new enemy.

"Looks like we've finished it off." Sailor Venus breathed a sigh of relief. "Great work, Jupiter! And you too, Mercury!"

"It took everything we had to do it" her brunette companion muttered. "Whatever it was, that thing was _tough!"_

One of the pedestrians behind the Senshi groaned and began to stir. "Minna, let's get out of here before we're discovered" Sailor Mercury prompted. They ran back to the alleyway to find their fiancees picking themselves up off the ground. The young men seemed no worse for wear other than oddly confused expressions on each of their faces as they slowly clambered back to their feet.

The victorious Senshi instantly released their henshins, their colorful uniforms fading away to street clothing as they reverted to teenage girls once again.

"Is anyone hurt?" Makoto asked worriedly.

"They must have been exposed to the youma's energy when it died!" Ami fretted. She hurried to her Ryo's side. "Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, Ami-chan" he said. "Arigatou."

Taro blinked away his daze as Minako rushed up to him. "What am I doing here?" he mumbled.

"Everything's ok now, Taro-love!" she reassured her fiancee. "We took care of it."

"Took care of it? Of... what?" the puzzled boy asked.

"The _youma,_ silly!"

"Youma?" Taro regarded the blonde smiling happily at him with complete confusion. "Gomen, miss..." He bowed politely. "Uh... do I know you?"

_"Nani?"_ The color drained from Minako's pretty face along with her smile. "It's _me,_ honey-love! Your Minako! _Don't you remember?"_

"My... Minako?" Makoto and Ami watched with deepening concern as the seventeen-year-old's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I remember visiting Tokyo with my brother today, but... I'm not exactly sure why."

"Perhaps exposure to that energy field caused Taro to temporarily lose his short-term memory, Minako-chan" Yuji suggested. "I can clearly remember what just happened, so the effect mustn't be_ too_ serious."

_"I hope not!"_ the blonde gasped. "This is just _horrible!"_ She tightly grasped her fiancee's hand in hers. "Minna, let's take him to Rei's shrine. Maybe more familiar surroundings will help jog his memory."

"Am I... forgetting something?" Taro wondered aloud.

"Shouldn't we consider finding Taro proper medical care first?" Ami asked worriedly.

"He doesn't seem to be hurt at all, Ami-chan. Not physically at least." Minako insisted, "I think we can do a much better job of helping my honey-love remember me than they _ever_ could in some strange hospital."

"Just promise me you're not going to play nurse again!" Makoto groaned. "That's the_ last_ thing Taro needs today!"

The two other boys finished dusting themselves off and stood close behind their girls. "That hideous snake thing you just fought was terrifying, Mako-chan!" a relieved voice told Makoto. The fingers of a hand entwined with hers. "I'm so glad you're unharmed, honey."

The brunette grinned as she turned around to give her fiancee a tender hug. "All in a day's work for... the..." Her eyes sprang open wide in stunned shock. The boy holding her hand was not Ito Yuji, but Urawa Ryo. At that same instant, Ami was about to place a quick kiss on the cheek of the young man waiting behind her but abruptly froze. A feeble gasp escaped her parted lips as she stared at the boy.

"Is something wrong, Ami my sweet?" Yuji smiled lovingly at the blue-haired girl.

Ami stared in near-comical disbelief first at him, then at Ryo and Makoto. _"Oh dear!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Makoto instantly released Ryo's hand, dropping it like a hot potato. _"This_ is a problem." She and Ami exchanged quizzical looks. "Now what are we supposed to do, Ami-chan?"

"I'm not sure, Mako-chan." The blue-haired girl pondered the problem thoughtfully. "Perhaps Rei can help. I think Minako's idea of visiting the Hikawa Jinja is the only course of action we have at the moment."

"I guess it's worth a shot. Let's go."

Minako began speaking to Taro in soft baby tones. "We're going for a_ little_ walk down the street to Rei's shrine, Tao-love. She and her grandfather will make you _all_ better."

"Why are you talking to him like that?" the brunette asked. "He's not an infant!"

The blonde frowned. She suddenly held out her left hand and smiled brightly at her fiancee. "What do you see here on my finger, Taro-chan?"

"I see an engagement ring, miss. There must be a very lucky guy in your life."

_"That's you,_ honey-love!" Minako beamed. _"You're_ that lucky guy!"

_"Me?_ I'm engaged? _To you?"_ He grinned, "Wait a second! I know what's going on! This is some kind of joke, isn't it? Am I on one of those tv shows where they play tricks on people?" He glanced around the alleyway, looking for a concealed camera.

"You really don't remember our engagement on the cruise ship?" the blonde pressed. "Or how you proposed to me and put this ring on my finger during a fireworks display?"

"Gomen. I... seem to remember being on a big boat last week, but... not much else."

Minako whirled around._ "Mako-chan, this is a total disaster!"_

The brunette couldn't miss Ryo's loving gaze, directed at her instead of Ami. "Tell me about it!" she groaned. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Ami-chan, how should we do this? Am I supposed to walk down the street holding Ryo's hand? Or Yuji's?"

"I'd rather you didn't hold either at the moment" the studious girl muttered to herself.

"But I'm _not_ Ryo!" the dark-haired boy protested. "He's standing right over there! I'm Ito Yuji, my Mako-chan. And I'm madly in love with you!"

Yuji smiled at Ami. "And I'm your Ryo, Ami my sweet. Did that youma attack make you forget about me somehow?"

Hearing those words come from Yuji's lips made the blue-haired teen shudder. "Minna, let's hurry. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take!"

. . . . .

"This is really strange" Yuji commented as the three couples made their way along the streets of the Minato ward. "I feel weird holding your hand like this, Mako-chan."

"Well... you don't have to if it makes you feel uncomfortable, Yuji- Gomen, I mean Ryo-chan." Makoto sighed, "This is so frustrating!"

"How about we forget about the hand holding for now and just walk together?" Ami suggested. "That's the easiest solution. If the boys don't regain their memories soon, we'll have a much bigger problem to deal with."

"What could possibly make this day any worse than it already is?" Makoto wondered. Suddenly the realization hit her like a city bus. _"Ami-chan!_ Yuji is supposed to stay with me at my apartment for the rest of the week! But if his memories are inside Ryo's mind..."

"I'm sorry, Mako-chan, but I simply won't allow you to sleep with my Ryo-kun's body!" Ami pronounced with a horrified expression. _"That just won't do!"_

Minako began to giggle. "Looks like all the love-love is on hold for a while, Mako-chan!" she tittered. "Unless you want _both_ boys to-"

_"Baka!"_ Makoto cut her off with a growl. "Don't even _think_ crazy things like that!_ Ever!"_

"Where are we going again?" Taro asked the blonde, who for some reason he couldn't comprehend insisted on leaning snugly against his shoulder as they walked along.

"You'll see in a minute, Taro-love. We're almost there!"

"Am I really your fiancee?"

"Hai!" she answered with a warm, bubbly smile. "You are! How could you ever forget about sweet little me?" She batted her eyelids at him seductively and added with a coy wink, "Or all the intimate pleasures we've shared together, honey-love?"

"Uh..." Beads of sweat trickled down Taro's blushing face. "This is... awkward."

The teens walked on silently for another minute until at last the first massive red torii gate of the Hikawa shrine came into view. Climbing the steps they passed between two large stone komainu and spotted Yuuichirou talking to several guests nearby. He waved at them and strolled over after the visitors had left. "Konnichiwa, minna! It's another hot one today!"

"Hi Yuuichirou-chan" Makoto greeted him. "Is Rei and her grandfather here? We have a really big problem!"

"Let me guess" the young apprentice grinned. "Everyone can't wait to get married so you want Hino-sensei to perform a quick ceremony."

"I wish it were that simple" Ami sighed.

"Rei's grandfather left two hours ago to visit an old friend who's feeling under the weather. He won't be back until sometime later tonight" Yuuichirou said. "But Rei's here. Usagi is too. Try looking in the office" he suggested.

"Arigatou." Makoto lead the group into the shrine's living quarters toward the business office. An abrupt yell from further down the hall broke the silence of the ancient temple.

_"Usagi-chan!"_

_"Ahhh! Stop sneaking up on me like that!"_

"When you volunteered to help me out today, I didn't expect you to use it as an excuse to sit in my room and read my manga all afternoon! You're supposed to be outside sweeping the grounds!"

"I'm so hot and tired, Rei-chan!" Usagi's voice wailed back. "I needed a little break. You don't have to be so miserable about it!"

"A break I can understand, but a whole_ hour,_ Usagi-chan? Get back to work!"

"Fine!_ Slave driver!"_ Usagi appeared in the bedroom doorway, clutching a bamboo broom and wearing a decidedly sour expression with the raven-haired miko following close on her heels. The blonde's mood instantly improved when she spied her friends approaching.

"Hi!"

"Konnichiwa! What brings everyone to the shrine this afternoon?" Rei asked, quickly noticing upset looks on the three girls' faces. "More trouble?"

Minako blurted, "We just fought a youma, Rei-chan!"

"They're back?" the miko frowned deeply. _"Wonderful."_

"Hai! And now my Taro forgets who I am and Yuji thinks he's Ryo and Ryo thinks he's Yuji!" the blonde gushed. "Can you _please_ help us?"

"Nani?" Rei stared at her, then asked Ami, "What's that maniac babbling about this time, Ami-chan? She isn't making the slightest bit of sense."

"Minako is correct, Rei-chan" Ami nodded. "Taro is suffering from a partial memory loss and doesn't recall her or their relationship together. And my Ryo-kun's mind seems to be stuck in Yuji's body, or... at least the memory part of it is."

"And Yuji believes he's Ryo" Makoto added.

"Great! This day just keeps on getting better and better" Rei sighed. "Minna, this is all new to me. I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help."

"You have to try _something!"_ Minako insisted. _"We're desperate!"_

"Why don't you do that spooky thing you do with the ofuda?" Usagi suggested.

"For the last time, it _isn't_ spooky!" the miko grumbled. "I can certainly try, but if it doesn't work everyone may just have to wait until the boys' memories recover on their own. I wish Ojii-chan was here." She suddenly grinned, "You know, a situation like this could make for a _very_ entertaining night for you and Ami, Mako-chan!"

"That's not the word _I'd_ use to describe it" Makoto muttered, while Ami's cheeks flushed red at the thought.

"I do hope this works, my Ryo-kun. I want all of you together again in one piece." Ami impulsively tilted her head back and kissed his cheek.

_"Ami-chan!"_ Ryo gasped. "Why are you kissing me instead of your boyfriend?"

"But... I..." Ami's face reddened further under Makoto's stern glare, and the flustered girl cradled her head in her hands. _"What on earth was I thinking?"_

_. . . . ._

The teens sat inside the room before the sacred fire, with Rei and Taro kneeling directly in front of it. The miko's slender fingers formed symbols as she softly chanted the kuji-in while gazing into the very depths of the hot flickering flame. After a short while, Rei spoke. "It was definitely the youma's energy that caused this. Taro-chan, please try to relax and completely open your mind to me."

"Hai. I'll do my best, Rei-chan" he promised.

Rei kept her violet eyes fixed on the young man. "May the Kami restore your mind to the way it was before the youma attacked, Ito Taro. Banish all confusion and forgetfulness from your thoughts. Remember that Aino Minako is your one and only true love." She firmly touched an ofuda against his forehead. _"Akuryo taisan!"_

The boy's face lost all expression and he began slumping backward. Minako gasped and tightly held onto his shoulders. "Did it work, Rei-chan?"

Her answer soon came when Taro reopened his eyes and smiled happily at the shrine maiden. _"Minako-chan!"_ To everyone's astonishment he flung his arms tightly around the stunned raven-haired girl, toppling her onto her back._ "I love you!" _He tried to kiss her but the miko quickly turned her head away.

_"Somebody get him off me!"_ Rei yelled.

Minako forcefully dragged the boy away from her. _"That's_ not me, Taro-love! _I'm me!"_ She glared angrily at her deeply embarrassed friend. _"What have you done to my Taro?"_

"I_ told_ you this might not work!" Rei shot back as she sat upright. "Now I have _another_ problem to fix!"

"So much for that bright idea" Makoto sighed. Despite the direness of the situation she chuckled, "It's a good thing Yuuichirou didn't see that!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Minako-chan, try to keep a firm grip on your fiancee. I don't want him lunging at me again."

"Me neither, Rei-chan!" The blonde nodded and sat directly behind her boy, slipping her arms around his waist. "Done!"

"Ok..." Rei refocused her thoughts. "Taro-chan, look at me."

The boy happily complied. "You're_ so_ beautiful, Minako-chan!"

_"Hey!"_ Minako hissed. "Rei-chan, don't let him say anything like that to no one but me! _Do something!"_

"Baka!_ I'm trying!"_ The miko took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Taro-chan, listen closely. I am _not_ your girlfriend."

"You're... not?" A flicker of uncertainty appeared in his eyes.

"Iie. My name is Hino Rei."

"But..."

"The girl you love doesn't look like me" the miko continued. "For one thing, she has blonde hair, not black hair. Do you understand what I'm telling you? I am _not_ Aino Minako."

"Hai. I... understand now." Taro's emotions seemed to be riding a roller coaster and the young man's expression suddenly became sad, his voice thick with longing. "I miss my Minako so much. Do you know where she is?"

Nearby, Ami whispered to Makoto, "This is quite strange, Mako-chan. It almost seems as though Taro is in some kind of hypnotic trance." The brunette sitting beside her replied with a silent nod as they watched.

"If you turn around, you will find the girl you love" Rei continued, all the while thinking, _'I'm completely out of my element here! Where is Ojii-chan when I really need him?'_

Taro's hopeful smile returned. "I will?" His head slowly pivoted to the left and his searching gaze came to rest on a nearby blonde. _"My beautiful Minako!"_

Usagi instantly froze, her mouth falling open in shock. _"Nani?"_

"I _must_ be with you, my love!" With a sudden move, Taro slipped free from Minako's grip and stood up. "I want to hold you in my arms forever!" He took a first quick step toward the wrong blonde, but Usagi's rapidly rising panic made her move even faster.

She scrambled to her feet, still grasping her broom. "Not _me,_ Taro-chan!_ Turn around!"_

Minako yelled, "Hai! I'm right here, Taro-love!_ Behind you!"_

The teen from Nerima was unfazed by the pleading cry from his fiancee, his eyes locked unwaveringly on the blonde in front of him. "It's so wonderful to see you again, sweetheart!" He held out his arms toward the odango-haired girl and took a step closer. "I missed you so much. _Kiss me!"_

_"Ecchi!"_ Usagi blurted. She waved the end of the broom threateningly at the approaching boy. "Don't make me use this, Taro-chan! If you get any closer I'll have to punish you!"

Ami giggled softly._ "Oh my!"_

Makoto hastily reached out to restrain Taro but he suddenly took another step toward Usagi and the brunette misjudged her grab at his ankle. "My arms are waiting for you, my darling Minako" he spoke softly to the terrified blonde. "And…" he smiled shyly,_ "so much more."_

_"Nooo!"_ Usagi abandoned her broom with a clatter and bolted through the open door, sprinting down the hallway and out of sight as fast as her feet could move. Before the young man could follow the fleeing girl, Makoto tightly tackled his legs.

"That's far enough, Taro-chan."

"Why are you stopping me?" he looked down at the brunette in surprise.

"This _can't_ be happening!" Rei rushed over and stood in the doorway._ "Taro-chan!"_

"Yes, Hino Rei?"

_"That_ wasn't the right girl either!" the miko spoke sharply.

"I thought... she was..." His voice faltered and before Minako could reach him, the teen's legs suddenly went limp and Taro sank to the floor.

"He's collapsed!" Ami gasped. "Minna, I think we need to call an ambulance!"

A moment later the unconscious young man began to mumble._ "Minako... where are you...?"_

"He's just sleeping, Ami-chan" Rei said. "Occasionally an ofuda's powers can weaken a person enough to make them faint for a short time. You've seen it happen before. I'm sure he'll come around in a few minutes."

. . . . .

Outside the shrine, Yuuichirou mopped a sheen of perspiration from his damp brow. 'It's hotter now than it was at noon!' he thought. 'I really need a glass of water before my throat dries out too much to talk anymore.' He walked toward the main entrance to his home and slid the door open. Before he could set foot inside, Usagi burst past him into the sunshine and ran screaming across the courtyard.

_"Aaahhhh!"_

"This heat must be getting to everybody!" the young apprentice chuckled.

. . . . .

Minako hovered protectively above the love of her life, hands firmly on hips. Her blue eyes were afire with rage. _"Who's next, Rei-chan?"_ she growled. "Are you going to make my Taro fall in love with Ami now? Or Mako-chan? Why don't you have him invite Yuuichirou or your grandfather out on a date while you're at it?"

"I _warned_ you that I've never done anything like this before!" Rei growled. "But you begged me to! I'm trying my best!"

Ryo suggested, "Minna, I have an idea. Why don't we all leave the room except for Minako, and when my brother wakes up he won't see anyone but her?"

Yuji agreed. "Sounds like an excellent plan, Yuji-chan."

Makoto shook her head in disbelief. "Ami-chan, are you following this? Yuji just called Ryo... Yuji! _It's driving me crazy!"_ the brunette muttered. Beside her the two boys looked at one another and shrugged.

"It _is_ quite troubling, Mako-chan" the blue-haired girl agreed. "But logically we must take one step at a time. Now that everything seems to be somewhat under control with Minako and Taro, I agree with Ryo..." She quickly corrected herself, "Gomen, I meant Yuji... that we should give them some time alone. Minako should be the only person he sees when he wakes up."

Makoto stood up. "Ok. Would you mind escorting Yuji and Ryo to Rei's room, Ami-chan? I'd better go track down Usagi before she runs all the way out of town!"

. . . . .

"Taro-love? Can you hear me?"

The boy's eyes finally opened to glimpse Minako stretched out beside him on the floor, cradling her fiancee tenderly in her arms. Rei waited safely out of view in the doorway, watching with trepidation as he awakened.

"Minako...? _Minako-chan! It's you!"_

She gently kissed him. "I've been by your side all along, honey-love." She waggled an admonishing finger at her man. "You really had me worried, silly!"

He slowly sat up. "It was the strangest thing, sweetheart. For a while I couldn't remember anything about you. Not our engagement, or our time together... not even your beautiful smile. I hope that _never_ happens again."

The bubbly blonde's upbeat mood returned and she kissed him again, much more deeply this time. "Me too, Taro-love! From now on I'm going to make very sure you don't get anywhere near any nasty youma!"

"Hai! _The youma!_ I remember that too now, darling. I was watching you and the other Senshi fighting it and when it vanished, my memories of you disappeared right along with it! I hope I wasn't too much of a bother these last few hours."

"Well... apart from telling Rei that you loved her and trying to kiss her. And then chasing after Usagi because you thought she was me." She giggled, "Other than that it wasn't too bad!"

_"I did what?"_ Taro blushed bright red and he stared down at the floor. "I'm so very sorry, sweetheart. Sounds like I owe you and your friends a huge apology."

"I understand that you weren't thinking clearly, honey-love. Now I have you back and all to myself again." She tightened her hug around his shoulder and gazed happily into her lover's eyes. "Rei helped bring your memories back, so we both owe her our thanks." The blonde laughed, "And Usagi is fine too. She ran two whole blocks before Mako-chan finally caught up with her!"

Taro grinned wryly at his fiancee. "I feel like a complete idiot. I just hope that youma didn't mess with Yuji and Ryo too."

"About that..." Minako smiled, "You're not going to believe this but Yuji and Ryo exchanged memories! After what happened with you, Rei doesn't want to try restoring their minds on her own, so there's still one little problem to solve."

"Incredible! How are Ami and Mako-chan coping with this disaster?"

"Ok so far, I guess." The blonde grinned. "If Rei's grandfather can't help the boys, tonight at Mako-chan's apartment things are going to get _really_ interesting!"

. . . . .

"Moshi moshi. You have reached the Hikawa Jinja" Yuuichirou spoke into the phone.

"Good afternoon, Yuuichirou-chan. I'm calling to tell you that my friend has been admitted to the hospital for observation so I'll be staying with him until very late. I won't be home until tomorrow. Can you and Rei manage the shrine without me until then?"

"Of course, Hino-sensei!" his apprentice replied confidently. "We'll keep everything running like clockwork. As we always do."

"Very good, Yuuichirou-chan. Then I'll see you around noon. Be sure to let Rei know."

"I will. Give your sick friend our best wishes for a speedy recovery."

A moment after he hung up, Rei walked into the office. "Who was calling, honey?"

"That was your grandfather, Rei-chan. He called to say he's staying with his friend at the hospital. He won't be back until tomorrow."

_"Tomorrow?"_ Rei groaned. "Well isn't _this_ the icing on the cake? I need Ojii-chan's help now! Did he leave a number where we can reach him?"

"No. And I even forgot to ask which hospital. Sorry." Yuuichirou gently reached for her hand. "What's troubling my darling Rei?"

The young miko leaned against the old wooden desk and breathed a heavy sigh. "I don't know where to begin, Yuuichirou-chan." She frowned. "But one thing's for sure. Ami and Makoto may be in for a _very_ stressful night!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

In Kino Makoto's tiny Tokyo apartment, four teens sat around her small dinner table, finishing an afternoon snack while waiting for the Hikawa Jinja to close for the day.

"More tea, Ami-chan?" the brunette offered.

_"I'd_ like another cup, sweetheart" Ryo asked with a bright smile.

"Please stop calling me that!" Makoto groaned.

"But I _am_ your fiancee" the dark-haired boy continued with a hurt look in his eyes. "Don't you remember? We're engaged and going to be married someday! And then we'll live together here, or maybe at your house in Nerima. Whatever you want, my love."

_"Ryo-kun!"_ Ami scolded the young man.

"Yes, Ami darling?" Yuji asked innocently.

"I don't know about you, Ami-chan, but I am now declaring myself officially insane!" Makoto muttered. "If Usagi's healing escalation power doesn't work, we're going to have a whole lot of explaining to do to Yuji's parents."

"I'm sure it will" Ami replied hesitantly. "I... _hope_ it will."

The brunette sitting across from her suddenly frowned. "I just had a very scary thought."

"Oh? What's that, Mako-chan?"

"What if no one can fix this mess and Yuji and Ryo stay just as they are now for the rest of their lives?" she asked her friend. "Which one of them is your fiancee? Or mine?"

Ryo smiled at the brunette beside him and slipped an arm around her. "I'm all yours, honey!"

"That's what worries me, Ryo-chan" she wondered. "What if you _really are?"_ Deciding that the girls' gloomy spirits needed a touch of humor to brighten their moods, Makoto leaned across the table toward Ami, motioning her closer with a wave of her hand. "Tell me something, Ami-chan" Makoto whispered in her ear.

"What would you like to know?" her studious friend whispered back.

"What's Ryo really like?"

"Gomen, Mako-chan. I don't understand what you're asking."

The brunette grinned. "You know... in bed?"

The shy blue-haired girl sat back with a gasp of horror. _"Mako-chan! _How can you even_ think_ of such things at a time like this?"

"Well... it _would_ be nice to know..." she teased, "before bedtime comes."

_"You can't have him!"_ Ami blurted through bright red cheeks. "Not tonight, _or any other_ _night, Mako-chan!"_ She reached for Ryo's hand and snatched it into hers, clinging tightly to her young man. A moment later she saw Yuji staring across the table at her with a sad, hurt expression and quickly released the other boy's hand. _"Gomen nasai, my Ryo-kun!_ I..."

"Don't worry, my love" Yuji said understandingly. "Usagi will fix everything that needs fixing... though I'm _still_ not exactly sure what the problem is."

"On the bright side, this'll make another fun story to tell our kids someday" Makoto chuckled. "I apologize, Ami-chan. I have absolutely_ no_ intentions at all towards your Ryo. I was only teasing you."

"Mako-chan" Ami muttered, "I think you've been spending far too much time around Minako lately!"

. . . . .

Promptly at five, the four teens arrived once more at the Hikawa Jinja. Yuuichirou and Rei met them at the main door to their home.

"Are you sure you still want to go through with this?" the miko asked the girls. "You could always wait until Grandpa gets back tomorrow. Considering how inept Usagi can be at times, that may be the safest thing to do."

"If Usagi can't return our boys to normal, your grandfather may truly_ be_ our last hope" Ami sighed. "But if there's even a tiny chance we can have them back sooner, it has to be worth a try."

"The last visitor has left and the shrine is closed for the day so let's go see if odango-atama can be useful." The teens followed Rei and her future husband down the hallway to a familiar room where they had spent so much time studying during the past school year. Usagi was waiting for them, sitting at the study table behind what was an hour before a large bag of konpeitou. On the table beside the now nearly-empty bag was her moon wand.

"I see you've been fortifying yourself with another little snack, Usagi-chan" the miko grumbled. "You must've eaten half a kilogram of junk food so far today. And it's only five!"

"I'm storing up energy to use with my healing powers, Rei-chan!" she answered in a haughty tone. "For your information, using my moon wand in that way takes a lot out of me."

"Walking from your bedroom to the dinner table takes a lot out of you."

Usagi stuck out her tongue and Makoto grimaced to see it colored greenish-yellow by the soft candy.

"I'm sorry" Rei teased. "I didn't realize your wand was powered by sugar!"

_"Be quiet, you!"_

"Could we_ please_ get on with this?" Makoto asked. "You two can spend the rest of the night fighting if you want, but right now I'd like to have my Yuji back if you don't mind."

"And I want my Ryo-kun!" Ami added.

"Fine!" Usagi grumbled. She grabbed the wand and gestured toward the boys with it. "Yuji and Ryo can stay right where they are. Everyone else please stand back. I don't want to make a mess of this like a _certain someone_ did with Taro earlier."

Rei glared evilly at the blonde but held her tongue.

"Ok!" Usagi said. "Ready? Here we go!" She held up the wand and began swinging it in a circle.

_"Moon... Healing... WHAT?"_

A burst of laughter from Rei interrupted the girl. "Aren't you supposed to henshin first? _Baka!"_

"Oh. I... forgot" Usagi mumbled.

"You're hopeless!" she cackled.

"Shut up, Rei-chan!"

Usagi quickly transformed and an instant later Sailor Moon stood glaring angrily at the smirking young miko._ "There! Are you happy now?"_

"Baka."

_"Ohh!_ You're really starting to get on my nerves!" She ignored Rei's taunt and turned back to face the two boys. "This won't hurt a bit... I hope."

Yuji and Ryo exchanged worried glances. "We're ready, Sailor Moon" Ryo said. He took a deep breath and gulped deeply.

"Good. Minna,_ here we go!"_

"Again" Rei muttered.

"This time it's for real! _And for love! MOON... HEALING..."_

Bright rays of light began to swirl from the wand as it traced an arc around the Moon Senshi. At the instant Sailor Moon spoke the last word of her command and held her wand high, Minako burst through the doorway and directly into the path of the powerful beam.

The blonde everyone had assumed to be well on her way to Makoto's house with Taro blurted breathlessly, "Mako-chan, can I borrow your-"

_"ESCALATION!"_

_"Aaaghhh!"_

The beam shot from the wand and straight into Minako. She staggered back and fell against the two boys. Ryo and Yuji both grabbed her as her knees buckled beneath her and her eyes fluttered closed.

"Oops!" Sailor Moon gasped. "That wasn't good!"

"Fantastic!" Rei growled. "If there isn't one bungling blonde idiot around here, there's another. Just_ look_ at what you've done to her!"

"I hope Minako is unhurt" Ami fretted. "Help her sit down, Ryo-kun."

The two teenage boys gently lowered Minako to the floor, where she sat moaning softly. "Love... need... love...love..."

"She sounds completely out of it" Makoto said. "I wonder if-"

_"LOVE!"_ Minako yelled, her eyes springing wide open._ "I must have love!"_

"Oh-oh!" Yuuichirou began edging toward the door. "Rei honey, I don't like the look of this at all!"

"Get out while you still can, Yuuichirou!" Rei hissed. "Minako's gone crazy!" The apprentice bolted from the room and into the nearby office, sliding the door closed with a firm thump.

The dazed girl bounded to her feet, her blue eyes glimmering manically. _"Who wants to love me?"_ She twirled around and immediately spotted Ryo and Yuji. _"Two_ boys! Hai!" she giggled. "Why settle for one when I can have _two?"_

Yuji shot his close friend a panicked look. _"Run away!"_

In a flash, Minako leapt in front of the door and stood blocking the room's only exit. She waggled a finger at Ryo. "You aren't leaving here until you're finished loving me, Ryo-chan!" Her head twisted toward the other teen who was now sheltering himself behind the study table. "And _you're_ next, Yuji-chan! Come here and please me, my two lovers! _My two stallions!"_

_"Hold it right there!"_ Makoto growled. She and Ami promptly marched over to confront the wide-eyed blonde. "Settle yourself down, Minako-chan" the brunette said. "You're not laying a single deranged finger of yours on _our-"_

_"Get away from me, you... girls!"_ Minako hissed. She spun around and fled down the hall, calling as she left the shrine, "Don't worry, lover boys! I'll find you later, I promise! _A night of passion and ecstasy awaits us!"_

_"Over my dead body!"_ Makoto yelled back. Ami and her both tore off after the rapidly disappearing blonde and the study room fell silent as their footsteps slowly faded.

Rei shook her head in disbelief. "Well Usagi-chan, you've done it yet again."

"That wasn't _my_ fault!" Sailor Moon fumed. "How was_ I_ supposed to know Minako would run in here? What do you think I am, Rei-chan? Some kind of mind reader?"

"Of course not! You have more than enough trouble reading your school textbooks."

_"Ohh!_ This is all your fault anyway!"

_"My_ fault? How so?"

"Give me a minute or two and I'll think of a good reason" Usagi muttered after she detransformed.

The shrine's office door eased open just enough for Yuuichirou to cautiously poke his head into the hall. "Is it safe to come out yet, Rei-chan?"

"For the moment it is, honey. But if you happen to see Minako coming toward you, _run for your life!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Ten minutes later, Makoto and Ami returned to the shrine.

"Well?" Rei asked. "Did you catch her?"

"No luck, Rei-chan" Makoto shook her head. "I'm not sure what's gotten into Minako, but it sure hasn't slowed her down at all. She disappeared."

"So now we have a sex-crazed maniac on the loose. That's just great! There_ is_ finally some good news though" the raven-haired miko told the frustrated girls.

Ryo walked over to Ami and smiled happily at his fiancee. "I'm normal again, Ami darling! Yuji is himself again too. Sailor Moon tried her healing command again and this time it worked perfectly."

_"It did?"_ Makoto peered suspiciously at her young man. "Is that really _you_ in there, Yuji-chan?"

"Hai! My mind is back in my body where it belongs, Mako-chan. I'm one hundred percent Ito Yuji again!" He gathered the deeply relieved brunette into his arms and whispered shyly, "So you don't have to worry about which hand to hold anymore."

Makoto chuckled, "It wasn't holding your hand that had me so worried, Yuji-chan. If Usagi's powers hadn't worked, I was worried about what might've happened later!"

Ami tenderly kissed her fiancee. "Welcome home to your body, my Ryo-kun."

"So that only leaves Minako to deal with." Rei cautioned her friends, "There's no telling what that lunatic will do next. Which reminds me, where's Taro at the moment?"

"He's waiting with Yuuichirou in the parking lot beside Minako's car" Ami told the miko. "They came back to the shrine because Minako needed to borrow your house key, Mako-chan. We explained what happened and Taro promised not to let Minako drive until she's normal again. Unfortunately, he hasn't seen her since."

"Minako?_ Normal?"_ Rei laughed. "That's a real stretch of the imagination, even on a good day!"

Usagi grinned smugly at the miko. _"See?_ Ryo and Yuji are completely fine now! There's some things_ I_ can do that even your creepy Shinto rituals can't, Rei-chan. I'm not so hopeless after all, am I?"

"Congratulations" Rei replied brusquely. "At least you're finally useful at something."

"That's so rude!"

"What were you expecting, Usagi-chan? A parade?"

_"Miserable!"_

_"Baka!"_

_. . . . ._

While Usagi and Rei exchanged insults inside the shrine, a blonde head wearing a bright red bow slowly peeked around one of the stone lions at one end of the deserted courtyard.

_'Ha!_' Minako laughed evilly to herself. 'Those girls are _crazy_ to think they can outsmart the Goddess of Love! Makoto and Ami are nothing but amateurs when it comes to_ my_ specialty! And now for the final part of my master plan!'

Finding the coast clear she tiptoed up to the shrine and hid, flattening herself against one side of the ancient structure. She removed her communicator from her purse and thumbed it on, waiting until Rei's face appeared on its tiny screen a few seconds later. "Minako-chan! Where on earth are you?" the miko's voice yelled from the speaker. _"Get back to the shrine this instant!"_

"There's some kind of trouble in the park, Rei-chan!" The blonde tried hard not to smile or laugh. "I need _all_ the Sailor Senshi down at the lake!" she urged. _"Come quick!"_

"Hold on! We'll be right there!" Rei answered in alarm.

Minako quickly switched off the device and waited, giggling softly to herself. Scant seconds later, four girls burst through the main door of Rei's home and hurried down the shrine's steps. Her wicked smile grew wider as she watched them run down the street and soon disappear from sight. 'That takes care of_ that_ little problem!' she cackled. 'Now no one can interfere. _Ryo and Yuji, here comes love!'_

_. . . . ._

The two boys sat waiting in the study room together, exchanging worried glances. "I'll never get used to this Senshi business" Yuji sighed. "Thinking about my Mako-chan and the other girls always putting themselves in danger with youma is... frightening!"

"Hai. It is. And it doesn't get any easier with time" Ryo replied glumly. "All we can do is-"

_"There's my lover boys!_" a familiar voice exclaimed. Both teens' heads swiveled around to see Aino Minako standing in the doorway, her usually bright blue eyes deeply glazed. "When the cats are away, the mice will pray!" she giggled.

_"No!"_ Ryo's face paled.

"Minako-chan, wait!" Yuji pleaded. "You're not yourself today!"

"Silly boy! _Of course_ I'm myself!" she laughed. "Who else would I be?" She stepped into the room and closed the door. "There! Alone together at last! It just wouldn't do to be interrupted in the middle of our intimate moment, would it?"

Both teens scrambled to their feet and began edging away from the girl until they were behind the study table with their backs pressed against the far wall.

"What do you have in mind, Minako-chan?" Yuji asked, stalling for time while he and Ryo tried desperately to think of a way to escape the amorous blonde's clutches.

Minako smiled alluringly at him and slowly began unfastening the buttons of her blouse. "Can't you guess?"

"There's no youma in the park!" Ryo suddenly realized. "You only told the girls that so you could trap us here alone, Minako-chan!"

"Hai!" the blonde giggled again. _"I'm so sneaky!"_ She took another step toward the frightened boys. "But enough wasting time." She held out her arms invitingly. "Who wants to be first to cuddle with the Senshi of Love? No need to fight over me, there's _plenty_ of Aino Minako to go around!"

_"Think of your Taro, Minako-chan!"_ Ryo begged. "Please don't do anything you'll regret later!"

Mention of her fiancee's name seemed to have no result on the girl's confused mind. Minako sighed, "Such a shy boy you are, Ryo-chan. Is that something Ami enjoys? When you play hard to get?" She laughed, "I'll bet it is!"

"We're in big trouble, Ryo-chan" Yuji muttered. "Even if we try to run, we won't both get away."

Fortunately for the boys they didn't have to flee. The room door abruptly slid open and Ami and Makoto rushed inside. Rei and Usagi followed at the same instant, becoming wedged together in the doorway. _"Baka!"_ Rei hissed. "Stop crowding, you imbecile!"

"Gomen!"

Makoto instantly tackled the stunned blonde, knocking her onto her knees. _"Got you!"_ the brunette yelled triumphantly.

_"This can't be!"_ Minako gasped. "How did you discover my perfect plan?" She struggled to break free but the tall brunette's considerable strength easily kept the squirming girl tightly pinned.

"Your plan wasn't perfect, Minako-chan. In fact, it was quite flawed" Ami added. She hurried over to Ryo and protectively grasped his hand.

"Next time you try pulling a dumb stunt like that, you should check what's behind you first, Minako-chan" Rei told her. "We recognized the shrine wall in the background of your communicator's picture right away."

"So... _you_ tricked _me?"_ the blonde gasped in disbelief. "You beat the Goddess of Love at my own game?_"_

"We did!" Usagi snickered. "And from what I'm seeing, just in time too!_ He he!"_

"Usagi-chan, instead of just standing there gloating, why don't you henshin and fix this problem?" Rei grumbled.

"Ok, Rei-chan! I'm doing it! _Don't be so pushy!"_

. . . . .

In Makoto's apartment much later that evening, Mizuno Ami and her brunette friend sat silently drinking tea. A male voice called out from the other side of the door, "Mako-chan my sweet... we're _really_ sorry. Can we come back inside yet?"

"Have we kept them locked out long enough?" Makoto asked the blue-haired girl.

Ami sipped her tea. "Almost" she answered with a smile.

"Two more minutes" Makoto calmly replied toward the door. "That should be enough punishment for the both of you."

Out in the hallway, Yuji sighed. "Ryo-chan, after Usagi's powers made us ourselves again, I think we should have left well enough alone. Maybe that little joke we tried to play on the girls at dinner tonight wasn't such a bright idea after all."

Ryo grinned wryly at his friend. "Hai. We've learned our lesson well, Yuji-chan. We'll _never_ call Mako-chan Ami or Ami Makoto in fun _ever again!"_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


End file.
